National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies (NACCS) Records

The National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies (NACCS) was originally established as an ad hoc national caucus in San Antonio, Texas, in 1972. At an annual meeting of the Southwestern Social Sciences Association, representatives from various Chicano caucuses from professional associations decided to form the National Caucus of Chicano Social Scientists (NCCSS). This national caucus aimed to unite all Chicano scholars focused on promoting the welfare of Chicano faculty and students in the social sciences. Soon after, the national caucus established a steering committee, chaired by Jamie Sena Rivera, to organize its first formal/annual meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 1973. At this meeting, fifty Chicano Social Scientists attended and helped turn the caucus into a formal organization. As an association, their new goals were to establish communication among Chicano scholars, encourage the development of new social theories, facilitate academic institutional recruitment, and increase funding for Chicano-led research. To serve scholars across geographical and disciplinary boundaries, the association decided to adopt participation as a form of membership. Members were expected to participate in either local or sub-regional collective research units called Focos. Focos were intended to be the driving force behind the association and the center of activity for their members. Focos allowed members to collaborate on projects and research corresponding to local interests or issues in their region. The first six Focos were established in Colorado, Las Vegas-Northern New Mexico, the Pacific Northwest, the Midwest, Northern California (Norcal), Southern California (Socal), and Tejas.

At the national level, the NCCSS created a Coordinating Committee consisting of Focos delegates and elected officers (the treasurer, secretary, and general coordinator/chair). The Coordinating Committee was never intended to be a "locus of power" but rather a "channel for the energies of the focos' for their association. The first Coordinating Committee members were Tomás Almaguer (UC Berkeley), Mario Barrera (UC San Diego), Ray Burrola (Colorado State University), Rodolfo de la Garza (UT at El Paso), Guillermo Lux (New Mexico Highlands University), Geralda Vialpando (UC San Diego), Carlos Muñoz (UC Irvine), and Theresa Aragon de Shepro (University of Washington). Carlos Munoz became the first chair.

The Second formal annual NCCSS meeting was held on May 10, 1974, at the University of California, Irvine, where the Coordinating Committee voted to adopt the new name, the National Association for Chicano Social Scientists (NACS). In 1977, at the 5th annual conference, members voted to change the association's name again to the National Association of Chicano Studies (NACS). The name would remain the same for 18 years until 1995, when the general body voted to update the association name to better reflect the Chicana voice, renaming it once more as the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies (NACCS). NACCS organized numerous conferences throughout the United States and Mexico, addressing topics such as the Chicano experience, women's and migrant voices, community empowerment, Chicano politics, colonialism, and indigenous identity. In addition to the conference, NACCS recognizes scholars each year for their significant contributions to Chicano studies or to the Mexican population in the United States. Past awardees include scholars such as Américo Paredes, Dolores Huerta, and Tomás Rivera.

The association's ability to host conferences, support professional activity, and foster community involvement was due to its various caucuses and committees. Five caucuses were established over the years: the Chicanca Caucus, the Lesbian, Bisexual, Trans Caucus, the Student Caucus, the Joto Caucus, the K–12 Caucus, the Community Caucus, the Graduate Caucus, and the Indigenous Caucus. Caucus delegate members were later initiated into the NACCS governing body. As mentioned, NACCS has several committees, including the Site Committee, Editorial Committee, Student Premios Committee, Archival Subcommittee, and Political Action Committee. The Editorial Committee assisted the Coordinating and Site Committees with conference papers, research publications, and proceedings. Most importantly, they helped develop the organization's newsletter, which changed titles over time: National Association of Chicano Social Scientists Newsletter (1973-1978), Noticias de NACS (1982-1994), Noticias de NACCS (1995-present). The newsletter would highlight upcoming conferences, academic positions, researchers' work, calls for political action, and general announcements. The Site Committee was responsible for locating and organizing every annual conference. The Student Premios Committee facilitated a student paper competition named after Chicano political scientist Frederick A. Cervantes and supported students within the association. The Political Action Committee organized and monitored local political activities, enabling NACCS members to engage in and speak publicly on relevant issues.

NACCS headquartered its national office at Eastern Washington University from 1993 to 1998, after which it chose not to maintain a permanent location and instead operated through an interim office in the region of the sitting NACCS Chair. In response to this shift, members approved major governance changes, leading the Coordinating Committee to establish an Executive Director position in 2001 and, in 2005, to form a new governing board that included elected officers such as the Chair, Chair‑Elect, Immediate Past Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, three at‑Large Representatives, and the Executive Director. Another milestone was the development of the organization's logo. Andres Barajas, who chaired the conference art design committee, designed the initial logo for the 2000 conference themed "Sabiduría, Lucha y Liberación: Youth, Community and Culture en el Nuevo Sol." While meant for that event, NACCS wanted a logo that more accurately represented the organization's mission. In 2001, Andres was commissioned to enhance the 2000 conference logo into the present-day logo, which depicts "the male and female aspects of NACCS in an equal dialogue and discussion, represented by the Mixtec speech scrolls." [1]. The logo represents the dissemination of knowledge within the Chicano community and the struggle and change embodied by the three fists in the design.

This period of organizational consolidation and symbolic renewal set the stage for NACCS's expanding role in national advocacy. The association not only advocated for the development of Chicano Studies programs in universities but also fought for faculty rights and tenure protections for scholars such as Rodolfo Acuña. NACCS members organized protests in multiple states in support of migrant rights. They contributed to national policy conversations by submitting amicus briefs, including their participation in the 1994 Education Amicus Brief opposing Colorado's Amendment 2, an anti–gay, lesbian, and bisexual measure [2]. Although NACCS's name suggests a primary focus on Chicano and Chicana studies, the association has expanded its scope to include broader conversations on Latinidad, Latino/a/x experiences, sociology, and social justice. NACCS members have sustained advocacy through an active membership and the contributions of prominent scholars such as Irena Blea, Ricardo Romo, Francisco Arturo Rosales, and Adaljiza Sosa‑Riddell, who chaired and participated in numerous committees and initiatives that advanced the organization's scholarly and political mission. Through its Focos, caucuses, committees, and national leadership, NACCS cultivated a broad network of scholars dedicated to advancing research, community engagement, and political advocacy within the Latino community.

[1] National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies. (2026). About the NACCS logo. NACCS. https://www.naccs.org/naccs/About_the_Logo.asp

[2] Education Amicus Brief, Brief of the National Education Association et. al., Supreme Court of the United States, Romer vs. Evans, October Term, 1994

1972

Ad Hoc National Caucus formed at the Southwestern Social Sciences Association, San Antonio, Texas (see Summer 1973 newsletter)

1973

First Annual/Formal meeting and formation of the National Caucus of Chicano Social Scientists (NCCSS), Las Vegas, Nevada (see Spring 1974 newsletter)

1974

Second Annual/Formal meeting changed name to National Association for Chicano Social Scientists (NACSS), Irvine, California (see Spring 1975 newsletter)

1977

Association adopts the new name National Association for Chicano Studies (NACS) at 5th Annual Conference, Berkeley, California (see News from NACS, October 1977)

1982

10th Annual conference, Tempe, Arizona

1986

Chicana Caucus incorporated

1990

Lesbian Caucus incorporated

1991

Student Caucus incorporated

1992

20th Annual Conference, San Antonio, Texas

1993

Gay Caucus incorporated. The Interim National Office was established at Eastern Washington University

1995

Name changed to National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies (NACCS). Gay Caucus renamed to Joto Caucus

1997

The K-12 Caucus and Community Caucus incorporated

2000

The Graduate Caucus incorporated

2001

NACCS adopts official logo, artwork by Andres Barajas

2003

30th Annual Conference, Los Angeles, California

2006

The Indigenous Caucus incorporated. Lesbian Caucus renamed to Lesbian, BiMujeres, and Trans Caucus

2013

40th Annual conference, San Antonio, Texas

2025

50th Annual Conference, Albuquerque, New Mexico